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= const, but as it reaches the non-at region of the potential, ination begins
[12].
Graham et al. [10] recently proposed a simple emergent model featuring a
closed universe (k = +1) with a negative cosmological constant ( < 0) and
a matter source which obeys P = w, where 1 < w < 1/3. Graham et al.
point out that the matter source should not be a perfect uid, since this would
lead to instability from short-wavelength perturbations [10]. One such material
that fullls this requirement is a network of domain walls, which has w = 2/3.
Then the energy density is
(a) = +
0
a
1
(1)
and the Friedmann equation for the scale factor a has solutions of the form of
a simple harmonic oscillator:
a =
1
(
_
2
1 cos(t)), (2)
where
=
_
8
3
G|| (3)
and
=
2G
2
0
3||
. (4)
In the special case where = 1, the universe is static. Although this model is
stable with respect to classical perturbations, we will see that there is a quantum
instability [13, 14].
2
2.1 Quantum mechanical collapse
We consider the quantum theory for this system in the minisuperspace where
the wave function of the universe depends only on the scale factor a. In the
classical theory, the Hamiltonian is given by
H =
G
3a
_
p
2
a
+U(a)
_
, (5)
where
p
a
=
3
2G
a a (6)
is the momentum conjugate to a and the potential U(a) is given by
U(a) =
_
3
2G
_
2
a
2
_
1
8G
3
a
2
(a)
_
. (7)
With the Hamiltonian constraint H = 0, enforcing zero total energy of the
universe, we recover the oscillating universe solutions discussed in [10].
We quantize the theory by letting the momentum become the dierential
operator p
a
i
d
da
and replacing the Hamiltonian constraint with the Wheeler-
DeWitt equation [15]
H = 0. (8)
From the Hamiltonian in Eq. (5), the WDW equation becomes
_
d
2
da
2
+U(a)
_
(a) = 0, (9)
with the potential from Eqs. (1) and (7). Note that in quantum theory the form
of the potential (see Fig. 1) is no longer that of a harmonic oscillator. Instead,
U()
3
there is an oscillating region between the classical turning points a
+
and a
,
which are given by
a
=
1
_
_
2
1
_
, (10)
and the universe may tunnel through the classically forbidden region from a
2
2
+
4
_
2
1
_
ln
_
1
+ 1
_
1
3
_
. (12)
For a static universe, = 1 and a
= a
+
=
1
,
S
WKB
=
3M
4
P
32||
. (13)
Since the tunneling probability is nonzero, the simple harmonic universe cannot
last forever.
2.2 Solving the WDW equation
First let us examine the well-known quantum harmonic oscillator. In that case,
the wave function is a solution to the Schrodinger equation
1
2
_
d
2
dx
2
+
2
x
2
_
(x) = E(x). (14)
After imposing the boundary conditions () 0, the solutions represent a
discrete set of eigenfunctions, each having energy eigenvalue E
n
=
_
n +
1
2
_
.
However, in the case of the simple harmonic universe the wave function is a
solution to the WDW equation (9), which has a xed energy eigenvalue E = 0
from the Hamiltonian constraint. From the form of the potential in Fig. 1, it
seems that we must choose () 0, so that the wave function is bounded at
a . We are then not free to impose any additional condition at a = 0, or the
system will be overdetermined. The wave function in the under-barrier region
0 < a < a